


Quiet Competence (and Vicious Resolve)

by xwannaflyx



Series: Kishimoto Did the Girls Wrong [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Bureaucracy, Caged bird seal, Diplomacy, Gen, Hinata as Hyuuga Head, Hinata is smiling, Hinata takes no shit and no prisoners, Hyuuga Elders being canonically shit, Kishimoto did the girls wrong, Political Campaigns, Revenge, behind the scenes manipulation, it is a trap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-16
Updated: 2019-01-16
Packaged: 2019-10-11 05:27:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17440817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xwannaflyx/pseuds/xwannaflyx
Summary: Hinata slowly builds a reputation of quiet competence when she steps in for her father as Hyuuga Head, remaining usually silent but quite insightful in every meeting, discussion, and useless bureaucratic nonsense. As she branches her skills outside of Konoha, she becomes well known for her efficiently polite diplomacy.Her reputation for "quiet" and "polite" gets viciously thrown out the window and drowned when she begins her campaign to rid the Hyuuga Clan of the Caged Bird Seal.





	Quiet Competence (and Vicious Resolve)

**Author's Note:**

> written for Kunoichi Week Day 3: Skills
> 
> also written because Hinata is quiet but she's a badass and I love watching her fuck shit up and pretend to be innocent in it all

Hinata earns herself a reputation for quiet competence the first couple years she begins sitting on the Clan Head Meetings and the Hyuuga Council Meetings and various other meetings that are filled with people standing (or sitting around) pretending to be important and being disdainful of anything that even seems vaguely like change. She is not the loudest at Konoha Council Meetings (that honor falls on Naruto who leaps onto the table to shout at the Elders at almost every meeting) and not the quietest (that honor falls on Aburame’s representative-often Shino-who tends to remain quiet save the consistent buzzing background that Hinata has long since been accustomed to). With the Hyuuga Clan she often sits quietly and listens to everyone’s demands and complaints before thanking everyone for their time and retreating to her room to begin penning replies and solutions for whatever she heard during the meeting. 

Hinata’s reputation for quiet competence swiftly becomes one of efficiently polite diplomacy as she begins to welcome outsiders to speak to concerning Hyuuga or other tangential matters. With her place on the Konoha Council, she also addresses matters for the village, often seen discussing political and logistical matters over lunch with a bunch of other young clan heads. 

Hinata’s reputation for quiet competence and efficiently polite diplomacy gets thrown out the window and viciously drowned when she begins her campaign for the revoking the curse seals. 

“Hinata-sama,” a Hyuuga Elder said slowly, sniffing delicately and a little dismissively. “You want to  _ what _ ?”

Tenten, who had been forcibly dragged to this meeting to stand behind Hinata and look vaguely menacing, slowly turns her head and bares her teeth in a facsimile of a smile at the rude Elder.  _ She  _ certainly had enough experience with arrogant, dismissive Hyuugas who believed themselves above everyone else. But this Hinata’s battlefield of suppressed smiles and dismissive and faintly condescending glances-she would remain quiet. 

“I,” Hinata said charmingly, smiling sweetly because everyone always forgot that the baring of teeth were a  _ threat  _ when it was paired with long hair and upturned corners, “am going to rid the Hyuuga Clan of archaic and barbaric practices,” she said pleasantly, taking a delicate sip of her tea. Her gaze sharpened for all that her smile never changed, “The Caged Bird Seal is an antiquated notion and  _ barbaric  _ to any with sense.” 

Tenten suppresses a smile when the Elder sputters, many of the Elders that had been nodding along in arrogant agreement suddenly leaning away from their now-former ally. “Hinata-sama,” one Elder begins, expression placid for all that the flutter of his hands ooze disdain. 

“Hyuuga-sama,” Hinata corrects, her expression iron.

“What?” There are brief glances of concerns, slight surprise that everyone barely manages to suppress.

“You will address me as  _ Hyuuga-sama _ ,” Hinata said frostily, “until my father is out of the hospital and capable of regaining the title.” She turned her pale eyes on the frozen Elder then smiled kindly, “I interrupted. Continue.”

The Hyuuga Elder’s expression becomes tight before he imperceptibly straightened his spine, a haughtiness passing through his eyes. “While I understand that,” he pauses suddenly, his lip curling slightly, “ _ Hyuuga-sama _ may not understand the importance of the necessary and life-saving practices you consider  _ archaic, _ ” he said delicately, the corners of his lip turned just barely down, “the seal is the line drawn between the Hyuuga Clan and destruction.” He gave Hinata a thin smile, “I’m sure you understand the importance of survival.”

Hinata stared at this man who had probably never stepped foot into the battlefield-who probably didn’t wake up every night, silently screaming, convinced that he was drowning in the blood of all those he had killed. She stared at the man that had manipulated and coerced her uncle to die and drove her cousin to believe the only choice available was death. She stared at this man that still curled his lip anytime he saw the Branch members lingering around the Main Household as if he contributed anything to the clan other than wasteful policies and archaic prejudice. Finally, she smiled. Hinata smiled politely because experience and mule-headed tenacity had taught her to think of refusals as acceptances-that-haven’t-happened-yet and despite the softness of her features, the smile sends shiver through everyone’s spine. “I see,” she said pleasantly.

The Elders settle, smug to have thwarted this young untested girl who thinks to tell them what to think and believe. “I’m glad-”

“If your survival is dependent on stepping upon others,” Hinata said, still smiling, “perhaps it simply means you are too weak to survive in the clan that  _ I  _ will build as a pillar of this village,” she said pleasantly. Calmly, she stood up, ignoring the way the younger Hyuugas quickly scrambled to their feet as well, “We will continue this later,” she said, then swept out of the room. 

Tenten walked the necessary two steps behind her until they had exited the meeting room then took three quick steps, standing beside a frozen Hinata. “I could always just go for a good, clean assassination,” she offered cheerfully. 

Hinata slowly looked up at the cheerful girl that had gripped her hands, face frozen as they buried her cousin. Her hair had been down for the first time most people had ever seen and although people glanced at her warily, she had come to the funeral with weapons strapped to her side. She had considered the pyre for a very long time, Lee gripping her hand and sobbing, before neatly pulling out a precisely sharpened kunai and stabbing it into the pyre, her expression still. “I’m going to bring their thrice cursed  _ traditions  _ down on their ears,” Hinata snarled, her expression suddenly  _ viciously  _ alive, “and laugh while they scramble to survive.”

Tenten regarded her for a moment then her smile took on a distinctly bloodthirsty tinge. “Good,” she hissed. The two women shared predatory smiles before Hinata continued through the hallway, ignoring the servants that offered quick bows as she passed. Tenten laughed unsuppressed, calmly following two steps back. 

-x-

There is two weeks of silence in which Hinata does nothing but quietly go to meetings and mostly go along with the wants of the Hyuuga and Konoha majority. Then, she is sent on a mission to guard the daimyo due to excess of threats and also because Hyuuga Hiashi’s delay in recovery necessitates that she officially takes up the mantle of Hyuuga Head before the daimyo. She takes the mission from her Hokage with a smile, eyes scanning Tenten-the prestige of the only person capable of wielding the Treasured Tools-and Sasuke-the last remaining Uchiha who was to be officially pardoned. 

The journey was forgetful except for the long silences and awkward pauses; Sasuke had never been in a group with either of them leading to the three getting in each other’s way as they set up camp or stepping on toes on favored positions. By the end, Sasuke and Tenten had taken to exchanging the basic customary niceties and leaving all other communications to be conducted through Hinata. Hinata, as a mature adult and vague friend to both, strengthened her resolve and resisted the urge the smash the two of their heads together.

A day out from the daimyo’s palace, Hinata settled near the fire and did a quick scan of the area. Sasuke sat against a tree, slowly polishing his sword. Tenten, for once in their weeklong trip, was staring at Sasuke, abject fascination and hints of envy in her gaze as she stared at the gleaming sword. “I want one,” she finally whined, turning a planitive expression on Hinata even as her hands briskly unsealed the Bashousen.

“You’re kidding,” Hinata said slowly, staring at her cousin’s old teammate and her recent friend. Sasuke glanced up from his sword, took in the serious expression on Hinata’s face, and hastily looked back down, withdrawing a whetstone from the depths of his cloak. 

“It’s pretty,” Tenten argued, carefully checking over the weapon in her hands for any damage or smudge. “And it’s chakra conductive,” she added, genuine want in her voice. 

“You have plenty of weapons that are pretty and chakra conductive,” Hinata pointed out calmly, taking a brush out of the depths of her pack and beginning to carefully brush and plait her long hair. “I’m almost certain that Neji used to give you such weapons as birthday presents,” she added, fixing Tenten with a glare. 

Tenten’s gaze remained avaricious and fixed on Sasuke’s sword. Finally, with a long sigh and a pout, she turned and looked at Hinata. “What are you doing?” she finally asked, watching Hinata, who despite the week in the woods still looked like a polished lady, brushing out her hair. 

“I’m representing the Hyuuga Head,” Hinata said with a slight grimace, attempting to working out one of the snarls in her hair. “I’m going to have to meet with the ladies of the court and I need to look presentable. She finally managed to get her brush through with a small sound of pain and fixed her attention on the next snarl. 

“Gross,” Tenten said slowly, hair neatly in buns. Sasuke’s gaze was quiet sympathetic as he grunted in agreement. 

Ignoring the two, Hinata carefully finished brushing her hair and fixed it into a long plait before settling in for the night. “We start traveling again at sunrise,” she added, unfurling her sleeping roll and snuggling into its warmth. She ignored Tenten’s long groan of pain and slowly let herself slip off to sleep. 

-x-

One week later, the court of the daimyo was rife with whispers. Hinata with her grace and elegance had been quite popular with both the ladies and the lords of the court, drawing them in with her soft spoken words and delicate gestures. The ladies were quite fond of whispering about the Uchiha, small titters sneaking out from behind fans as people watched Sasuke set out each morning for his daily exercises. The court was both aghast and entertained by Tenten who stalked around in full ninja gear, often challenging random guards and lords into duels as she steadily grew more bored.

However, the rumors that grew the most were the stories of Hyuuga Neji, a hero from the Shinobi World War who had died for the honor of the Hyuuga Clan and the future of the daimyo. The ladies whispered of his appearance and his heroics, swooning at the thought of a warrior tested from birth and told from childhood that he would never be enough. People listened eagerly to the stories of a man that did not quite offer the detachment of a legend with the anecdotes told by Tenten who spoke of a bitter boy and a man who grew past the pain of his fate. She told them of mistakes and spars and challenges and tears until almost everyone in the court could envision a man that they had never met. 

Hinata delicately drank from porcelain cups with ruby painted lips, demurely lowering her eyes and allowing a single tear to slip past when the topic of his death came up. The other ladies soon learned to remain quiet on the topic, their voices crooning with sympathy and raising sharply against the lords for disrespectful comments against a man who was clearly was noble and righteous. 

By the time the three headed back, another week later, Hyuuga Neji was almost a household name and the archaic notions of the Main Branch the villians in the fairy tale that Tenten and Hinata carefully spun. The two shared a thin dangerous smile and Sasuke had the sudden thought that if either of those two had been the last surviving members of a clan bent on revenge no one would have seen them coming until they were already burning. 

-x-

Tsunade is oblivious to their machinations when they arrive in Konoha. Or to be precise, she was oblivious to their machinations until one of the Elders invoke the Cursed Seal on one of the Branch members and Hinata suddenly brings the full weight of her wrath (combined with the support of the daimyo) crashing on the idiot’s ears. 

“Hinata,” Tsunade said slowly deeply regretting not having passed on the mantle earlier. “What.”

“Tsunade-sama,” Hinata greeted back, perfectly pleasant. The smile she offered looked like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth. Considering the fact that Tsunade had once healed someone that had fought  _ against  _ Hinata, she was well aware that butter would melt in her mere presence. “Did you have a question?”

Sighing loudly, Tsunade leaned back in her chair and stared at this girl-turned-woman who carried the weight of a clan and so many deaths on her shoulders. “You couldn’t do all this quietly?” she finally asked, gesturing at the piles of paperwork on her desk. 

Hianta simpered, her eyes cool even as her lips drew up in a smile. “I tried that. They preferred... alternate methods so I merely followed their wishes.”

Tsunade glanced at the largest pile of paperwork which was basically just a collection of complaints against various Hyuuga Elders that had coincidentally been causing Hinata the most trouble. Most of them were written with the careless abandon of the rich and was heavily representative of the daimyo's court. In fact there had been a politely worded note from the daimyo himself in the pile. “Their wishes,” she echoed flatly, dragging her eyes up to Hinata and noting the triumphant gleam in her eyes. “I'm sure this is exactly what they wanted.”

Hinata smiled slightly and her shoulders rolled casually back. “They didn't want to fix things the easy way,” she said cheerfully, “so I fixed things anyway.”

Tsunade sighed and glanced at the politely written complaint signed by not only the entirety of the Konoha Twelve but also the majority of the Clan Heirs and the current Clan Heads. “I'm guessing this will be coming up in the next inter-clan meeting?”

“I've already filed to have the topic added to the list with a prior three week notice as is proper protocol,” Hinata said cheerfully, lenining in slightly to point to the appropriate lines in the document. Her expression hardened slightly, “Until then with counts of suspected treachery and neglect of duty I have the relevant elders currently sealed away in the compound.” Her lips quirked mischievously as she flipped the paper to point out the lines on the document, “I've added that information following Protocol 279 which I found to be most appropriate due to the-”

“Yes the sensitive nature of the topic at hand and the resultant sacrifices of the mishandling. I'm sure you did.” Tsunade eyed the usually quiet girl with a wry smile, “Hinata I have no doubt that on paper this entire investigation and trial will be handled impeccably.”

Hinata's smile was smug but she said nothing. After this incident, Tsunade was more than certain that there would be no further challenges for Hinata's position as Clan Head particularly since Hanabi had rather pointedly remained silent on the matter but steadily increased her public visits to Neji's grave. Any naysayers would be silenced and the change Hinata desired was moving forward with the sort of relentless momentum that could only be achieved with a particular skillful manipulation of politics, bureaucracy, and diplomacy. In perfect honesty, Tsunade was thoroughly impressed with the way Hinata had handled the issue. 

“You know I agree Hinata,” she finally said with a sigh, but ying her face in her hands and firmly running her temples in a fruitless attempt to make her migraine go away. “My only issue,” she added a little despondent, “did you really have to generate this much paperwork over it all?”

Hinata's laughter echoed clearly through the halls and the rest of the Konoha Twelve (who had rather pathetically huddled outside the Hokage Office in hopes of overhearing the conversation) broke out into cheers at the sound, sure of the outcome and glad to finally gain justice for one of their own who had passed on too soon. 

Lee clenched Tenten's hand tightly tears of joy slowly sliding down her face as Tenten smiled, fierce and proud. “Thank God for politics,” Tenten murmured wryly and with not a little irony, watching the Konoha Twelve cheer in the hallway. 

“Thank God for incompetents,” Hinata corrected smoothly, sweeping out of the office and standing in front of Tenten with a gleeful smile on her face. The two continued smiling but edged to the side as Tsunade stormed out and began threatening paperwork on all the eavesdroppers. 

“I still think an assassination would have been faster,” Tenten said cheerfully nudging Hinata as they all began trying to make a break for it away from Tsunade's fake wrath. 

“Less suffering,” Hinata mused, turning precisely into a corridor and aiming for the open window at the end. 

“You clearly doubt me,” Tenten said with an easy laugh, jumping out the window alongside Hinata. “I am  _ very  _ good.”

Hinata smirked but turned away. “Last one to the Memorial Stone is a rotten egg!” Naruto shouted, crashing through a part of a wall. There were loud cheers and admonishments but the group headed in the direction of the stone. 

Hinata remembered the twisted bitterness of her cousin's face when they were young and the strange peace in his eyes and he bled out before her. She remembered the arrogance of the Hyuuga Elder who dared call himself a protector of their clan and the panicked fear in his eyes when she had approached him earlier today, armed with a sweet smile, a document of his detainment, and two ANBU guards. (The expression on each of the co-conspirators faces and the way the rest of the Elders carefully distanced themselves had been just as sweet.) This one's for you, Neji, she thought fierce and vindicated and goddamn finally successful. This one's for you. 


End file.
